Sunday, April 12, 2015

In 1993, when Michel Chapoutier had been the main winemaker in the family business for only three years, he turned on the television to watch his friend and musician Gilbert Montagnin on the screen. Gilbert, who is blind, was talking about the experience of buying wine and was explaining on the program that he never felt comfortable going into a wine shop alone because he didn’t know which wines he was picking up. Chapotier decided to include the Braille text to every bottle of wine he produced. From that point on, on every bottle of Chapotier – and there are millions, from not only the Côtes-du-Rhône but also Languedoc Rousillon, Provence and even Australia – he includes the appellation, name of the wine, vintage and whether it is red or white, all written in Braille.